


If A Flower Blooms in the Desert

by WrynnsBlade



Category: Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Genre: Character Growth, Lots of complex feels, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-10-23 06:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrynnsBlade/pseuds/WrynnsBlade
Summary: Returning to what Jason knows as reality, he struggles to come to terms with himself after his journey. He decides to go to the person that started it all.





	1. Chapter 1

            Things weren’t the same after he returned. Once a Traveler returns home from adventure, are they ever? Old Hop would be in the hospital for a long while, and with no next of kin to care for him, Jason took the responsibility on himself to run the shop and help the man. It wasn’t too difficult when Lu Yan seemed to heal obscenely fast—much faster than what should be expected of a regular old man. “It’s because I’m immortal!” He says this in his accented English, a scolding tone in his voice.

            “I know, Lu Yan,” Jason states. He tries hard not to roll his eyes at the man. “I was _there_ when you became immortal. But you’re still injured. You need to _rest_.” Trying to school the old man back to bed was probably more difficult than facing the Jade Warlord with a pitiful stick at his side. But he managed then, and he manages now to bring Old Hop back to his bed. Jason had grown up quite a bit since that journey—maturity wise, that is. He was still only 18, having just turned when Old Hop came back from the hospital.

            The door rings, and Jason finds himself going down the stairs faster than what most people expect. It was Niao, the young woman from the Golden Sparrow shop across the street. Though he knew her to actually _be_ Golden Sparrow, it seemed rather fitting that she held the name Niao. “Ah, there you are,” she chirps. “I was wondering how Old Hop was doing?” A light dusting of pink spread across her cheeks.

            Jason knew why. And he felt a little bad. But as it stood, he couldn’t quite recapture that connection with her that he had in her previous life. The spark that’d had him pleading with the Jade Emperor to do something— _anything_ —to save her was gone. “He’s being feisty again,” Jason replies kindly. “He keeps saying that he would be downstairs to attend to customers, but he just needs to _rest_.” With that emphasis, Jason’s dark eyes flash upwards, catching sight of the old man before Lu Yan darts back to bed. “ _You can’t hide the shuffle of your feet, Hop!_ ”

            It was still mind boggling, he thinks, that so much of his journey was real. Sparrow here before him. Lu Yan still being around, and still being very much immortal. He wonders, however briefly, if the Monkey King was also just as real. It’s this line of thought that makes him look back towards Niao. She was speaking and continues to do so though he doesn’t really hear her. When she finishes, Jason’s mouth jerks into a half smile. He felt bad for tuning her out, but seeing her chat so much now, so lively and bright after seeing her otherwise seemed to betray the very character he knew.

            “We should catch up later,” Niao says. Her eyes were crinkled at the corners, and she looked excited at the very prospect of it. He agrees with her amicably enough. He knows they won’t and wonders at why he didn’t just speak his mind to her. Part of him realizes that it’s because he missed the Sparrow of old. The other part doesn’t want to hurt her but knows it would hurt her even more in the future if he kept up his charade. She leaves soon after, and Jason sighs as he slides down to sit at the bottom of the stairs.

            He knows Old Hop didn’t scoot off to bed. And true to his insight, Old Hop who is stubborn as ever, makes his way down to sit next to the young man. “If you don’t let her fly,” Lu Yan murmurs. “How can she spread her wings?” Jason frowns, shaking his head with another sigh. The older male frowns too and says, “Perhaps you should sort yourself out, Traveler. You’ve already flown and come home. But your heart still hasn’t fully returned. Why is that?” And it’s as if Lu Yan’s voice triggers something in Jason, the way the man stills.

            _A warm curl of lips, eyes bright and endearing, peer up at him. He knew this face. He’s seen it before. “You’ve freed me, Traveler. Thank you.” Something about the male’s voice melted something inside Jason Tripitakas. And it knows that whatever it was wasn’t going to come back. Instead, he’s still determined to go home. The boy manages to resist shuddering. There was something utterly charming in the confident way the Monkey King held himself._

Another memory slides in, following the last seamlessly. Sparrow’s funeral. _He had to fetch WuKong, so they could all say goodbye to Sparrow together. Though the Monkey King hadn’t met her himself, he’d seen her and knew her through the Silent Monk. When he knocks on the room he knows WuKong to be in, he’s given permission to enter. The King was busy tending to his hair, the comb in his hand sliding through the long blond strands easily enough. “Sorry,” he says, offering a sheepish grin. “I needed to fix it before the funeral. I haven’t had my hair down in about five centuries. And there’s this **one** knot that’s been there this entire time that I couldn’t get rid of—”_

            _Jason offers to help. The King allows him to touch his hair, separating it carefully so WuKong could slide the comb through and carefully unknot the strands that troubled him so. After he does so, he uses Jason to his advantage and has him help in sectioning out certain parts of hair, so he could rebraid them before tugging his hair into a familiar top-knot. Jason doesn’t think he’d forget the texture of the Monkey King’s hair. It was pliable, soft and a bit frizzy in his hands, reminding him of the smooth sides of velvet. It smelled strongly of something sweet mixed with something masculine._

_“We should get going.” WuKong states this, carefully watching Jason in the mirror. The boy had a fascinated look on his face that quickly disappears as he turns to look at the door. Jason looked a touch lost before he started to head out. But Jason didn’t miss the thoughtful look on the King’s face before he left. He wondered what the cause of it could’ve been._

            Lu Yan nods then, a sagely look on his wrinkled face. The young man came to the answer on his own after all. “Old Hop,” the brunette murmurs. “What happened to WuKong? I need… I think I need to see him again.” Maybe then, he’d finally have some answers on where to go from here.


	2. Chapter 2

            He was given a number, but Jason didn’t call it immediately. Things got busy in the shop and in his life to put the thought on the back burner. With Lu Yan finally well enough to work again, Jason lost track of time. It would be a couple of weeks when he gets home, crawling into his small room and flopping onto his bed when he thinks of it again. He’s just trying to unwind from the day, and it hits him that he still has the number on his phone. Jason stares at his phone, seeing the very number he wanted to call on the screen, but having no motivation to call it.

            He felt nervous, his heart picking up as soon as he thought of calling the Monkey King. It seemed rather intimate, to have the man’s voice so close to his ear. Hearing the very King who’d given him a task to return his staff so close sent shivers down Jason’s spine. Shaking his head, about to set his phone down on the charger, he jumps when it starts ringing. Looking at the screen, he sees it’s the very number he’d been avoiding all this time.

            “H-hello,” Jason splutters out. His voice broke, and he can feel himself flush with embarrassment because of it. “How can I help you?” The person on the line is silent, and Jason feels like he can picture the king sitting there, holding the phone to his ear.

            He would probably be dressed in modern clothes—the young man can easily see him wearing a suit—and maybe his hair was down as well. The silence continues, uncharacteristic of the Monkey King until Jason opens his mouth to speak once more. Then he hears it, the very voice that made him melt, made his heart skip and stutter.

            “It’s been so long since I’ve heard your voice,” he says, “I had a bit of trouble putting a face to you, Traveler.” He could almost see the sheepish grin that would curl about the King’s mouth. “Lu Yan gave me your number, saying that you needed to sort yourself out. What can I do to help?” The conversation flowed easily enough between them, and something settled in Jason’s chest. He felt very much at peace as he spoke to WuKong.

            But when the conversation began to wrap up, Jason felt a bit of panic at the thought of not speaking to the King again. “Can we get a coffee tomorrow?” It’s blurted out, hanging in the air almost as if the words themselves hung before his very eyes. Unashamed and blunt, Jason can feel his cheeks getting red. He didn’t want to lose track of WuKong again, and the feeling was quickly overwhelming him. “Or soon?” His voice was tiny now, pleading with the King for something he wasn’t sure of.

            “Are you asking me out on a **date** ,” WuKong incredulously asks. He’s amused, entertained at such a concept. And it came from such an unexpected place! Jason really has grown if he could be so bold.

            “If I say yes, does that mean yes?” Jason was hopeful, something very fragile being held close to his heart as thrills of excitement go down his spine.

            WuKong laughs. It’s warm and sincere and a helpless belly laugh that was completely unrestrained. “You’re too much,” he finally gets out. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says his goodbyes, and Jason couldn’t help but feel hopeful at the idea of the morning. Finally, things felt like they were sliding in place for him. They felt as though they were going to all make sense when he sees the King tomorrow.

            Meanwhile… WuKong stares at his phone. Amber eyes were thoughtful, the fragile device being carefully set down on his desk. He was dressed smartly—fitted slacks and a white shirt that buttoned down. He’d also just gotten off of work, a business restoring antiques, and he’d completed several deals during the day. He felt rather satisfied. But hearing from Jason was like breathing in crisp mountain air all over again.

            At first, he’d felt breathless. As if he couldn’t catch ahold of the air in front of him to fill his lungs so he could respond. And the conversation was as familiar to him as his body, an extension of who he was. He had a hard time finding like minds, and Jason was exactly the person he’d wanted to speak to after their journey together.

            A faint smile curls his lips, his eyes catching a reflection of himself in a nearby window. He hadn’t changed, holding viciously to his eternal youth with tight fingers. Not many had such a sway over time, and Lu Yan complained every time he saw WuKong, or heard his voice. “I haven’t felt this excited in years,” he murmurs to himself.

            Jason had asked him to a coffee date. His Traveler, an immature boy, had grown up. At least somewhat. He did so wonder if he’d settled down with Sparrow in this life, and what their children would be doing. Ah, children. WuKong hums to himself, his eyes narrowing in thought. Should he pick something up for them? He decides against it, haven’t being able to conform the information if such a thing did exist between the two. He shrugs to himself, curious about what tomorrow held.


	3. Chapter 3

                Mortals had come and go in his life. Rarely did they make such an impression as Jason had, and perhaps that’s why he agreed to their date. But his Traveler, awkward little Jason stuck between two masters on a perilous journey, had come home. And with his return, things settled in the Heavenly realms. Even now as he waits for the young man, WuKong felt the spark of something that made his fingers itch.

                Was it fate? Was it something to explore and hold in his hands as he watches it grow? He couldn’t wait to explore the opportunity. He couldn’t even sleep the night before, he was so excited. His tea was pleasantly warm—he’d been letting it sit as he waited for Jason to arrive. And so the boy does, out of breath and flushed from his run to the coffee shop. “Sorry I’m late,” Jason breathes as a form of greeting. He embraces the Monkey King once WuKong stands—a tight and brief touch—before letting him go. “I’ll grab a drink to join you!”

                WuKong can only watch as Jason leaves him to step into line and finds he must sort himself out. The embrace being used as a form of greeting was one that he wasn’t used to. Did Jason feel how he’d tensed with such a sensation? Had it been awkward? He didn’t even get a word out with how quickly the man had left. In a way, WuKong muses, that’s how all mortals were until they returned to dust. With a sigh he sits back down, propping his head atop his hand as he waits. Jason didn’t have any lingering smell of perfume, nor a ring on his finger—had he not settled down with Sparrow?

                Odd. WuKong had been so sure that they would get together based on the memories of when they travelled together. Granted, he’d been disguised as a monk at the time, but he’d still _been_ there. Once Jason rejoins him, the King leans forward. “How have you been Traveler?” It was a sincere question, one that flowed as easily as their conversation over the phone. But the difference was that he could study the young man’s face and pry into the different emotions he could see playing there.

                Jason considered the question with a thoughtful look, his brown eyes carefully studying his drink. An iced matcha tea with a drop of honey—it was hot out and drinking hot drinks would make him feel thirsty. “I’m confused,” he admits with a quiet voice. “I’m confused about a lot. I’m home, but I don’t feel like I belong. My journey is over—I completed the task you’d given me—but that opened up a doorway to learn so much _more_. There’s still so much out there in the world, and I only learned that it exists because of you and Hop. But…” Jason pauses, wondering if he’s using the right words. “I want to know so much more than what’s available to me. And I know that’s outside of my capability.”

                It reminded WuKong of his younger days. The ones where he’d be up to mischief and fun. He’d been filled with such a desperate need, heard the calling of magic, and understood the beckoning of knowledge to be drunk. He’d been _desperate_. And though he’d taught his Traveler much as he was disguised as a monk, he could teach him so much more now. It’d been a long time since he’d taken a student, if that’s what Jason was looking for. But that was the crux of the thing, wasn’t it? Amber eyes study the young man in front of him carefully, and he steeples his fingers in front of himself as he finds his voice. “So how do I factor into your plans, Traveler?” Gesturing with one hand, he seems to motion towards Jason as if he were beckoning the thought forward.

                Jason has to take a moment to process the question. He’d been so taken in by WuKong’s elegant motions that he’d forgotten what they were doing. He felt younger, still dressed in clothes that didn’t quite fit him as he learned something new. He frowns lightly, realizing he’d been asked a question. Had they not called this a date? Tilting his head, he purses his lips. “I want a relationship with you,” he supplies. “But… You’re making me think that it wouldn’t be reciprocated.” There weren’t embellishments to pretty up his words. It was a straightforward request followed up by a straightforward statement. It’s how Jason had always been, something WuKong had liked about his Traveler.

                “I’m sorry, Jason,” he states. “I must’ve been a very poor teacher if you wanted something like this from me.” WuKong brushes away a couple of golden strands from his face and sighs. “I cannot enter a relationship like this with a mortal. I’m too old, too tired to pursue something so…” Something burning with passions he didn’t understand, not unless it was during the heat of battle. WuKong had never felt desire unless it was to fell one of his enemies as his staff spins around in his grasp. The only time he shared passions with man was on a battlefield, where everyone’s blood ran red. “Something so unlike me. I apologize if I’d made you think there was something more to this than there was.”

                The young man finds it hard to resist the sudden drop in his heart. It doesn’t quite hit his stomach, but it’s a close thing. Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure that’s what he wanted from the Monkey King. And, as if gleaning just that thought from his face alone, WuKong speaks up once more. “You mentioned that you were confused earlier, right?” Jason nods, feeling lost as he stares at his old teacher. The immortal seemed terribly wise as his lips twist into a half smile. “I think this is also part of your confusion, Traveler. You haven’t let your wings settle in your nest home. You want to soar already. You’re at an age where that’s acceptable.”

                Touching the table, his fingers were oddly long in contrast to his hand. WuKong’s nails were trimmed perfectly and clean—he seemed to be well groomed even after all these years. “I can help you fly. But promise me one thing, Jason.” The young man nearly jerks at the sound of his name spilling from WuKong’s lips. It was such an odd sound, so intimate and not in all the same breath. “Use these travels to figure yourself out. When you come home, tell me what you’d learned. Alright?”

                It was perhaps the easiest decision Jason had to make in his life. He nods, his head bobbing up and down erratically. This, at the very least, could help him clear some of the fog that’d taken over his life. “I’m struggling a little,” Jason murmurs. “But if a flower blooms in the desert, I’ll never miss it.*” He wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't as much of a slow burn as I'd thought it would be. And the ending is open to interpretation a bit!
> 
> *Both the title and the lines quoted by Jason are by the artist Queen Bee from the song Half.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been eating away at me for too long! And this might become nsfw in later chapters.


End file.
